In a 2-stroke engine, stratified scavenging arrangements have been used to reduce or prevent the blow-through or loss of fuel through exhaust ports at the time of a fuel and air mixture entering the combustion chamber. Some such arrangements use an air passage that is separate from a fuel and air mixture passage, and scavenging is done with a layer of air provided from the air passage at the outset of scavenging, after which scavenging is done with a fuel and air mixture, and at the same time, new air is taken into a crankcase chamber.
In this stratified scavenging arrangement, the fuel to air mixture ratio within a combustion chamber of the engine can become too lean with the addition of air from the air passage at idle and other low speed and low load engine operating conditions resulting in unstable engine operation under these conditions. Further, for improved starting and warming up of the engine, it can be desirable to provide a somewhat rich fuel and air mixture to the engine. Air flow through the air passage at this time can make the fuel and air mixture leaner than desired resulting in difficulty starting and warming up the engine.